'Something I'm very proud of': Group set to celebrate 50th anniversary of Elbow River Trail
It was the summer of 1971 when 40 University of Calgary students were joined by 10 high school students who all went to work linking city landmarks with a trail system.
Brent McCorquodale and Rob McKenzie applied for a federal government grant called Opportunities for Youth to create a trail along the Elbow River, from the Glenmore Reservoir to the Calgary Zoo.
"We weren't trying to re-invent the wheel or anything," said McCorquodale. "Lets use what we've got and improve it and there's some places where there was none and we needed the access to get along further, and so we created some of it."
The student-led project received $46,500 in federal funds that were to be used for wages. They needed another $26,000 from the City of Calgary for materials and tools.
Rod Ball had experience as a builder with his dad and was tasked to making stairways on the path around the south end of the Glenmore Reservoir.
His partner was Rick Million and all the work had to be done by hand, without power tools.
"We were basically out here slugging away by hand," said Ball. "Bucksaw, pounding in with sledge hammer three-foot spikes and everything was hand done, all holes were drilled by a brayson bit and we loved it."
Donna Parks was a kinesiology student at the time and was no stranger to hard work.
She says it was tough building the trail through brush, roots and rocks, but Parks has many fond memories of how much fun everyone had for the three-month-long summer project, wearing bikini tops and work boots.
"Back then we were working on our tans covered with dirt," she said.
"But Terri (Higgins) would work with one boot and one flip flop so that she could tan her feet evenly and the next day she would switch over."
They worked 10-hour-days, four-days-a-week and at the end of the job received $1,000 each, which would almost cover a year's tuition at the university.
The project was finished early so McCorquodale gave the crew the week off with pay. That didn't sit well with the city or then mayor Rod Sykes.
"I was on the carpet with the mayor of the time," said McCorquodale. "He said, 'Brent, you can't do that,' and I said, 'can't do what?' 'Well you can't just pay these kids and give them a week's holiday and tell them have a nice life.'"
So the group went to work planning a grand opening for the new trail. Debbie Norrie wrote an invitation to Grant MacEwan, Alberta's then lieutenant-governor, who accepted.
"He came down from Edmonton and we have the picture with the Elbow River Trail, the old sign, it had a boot on top and he was just a gracious man and he came down and officially opened our path."
The trail system has been used by hundreds of thousands of people who likely don't realize it was a student-led project that got it all started.
"I've got grandkids that use these (trails)," said Ball. "My kids come and ride bikes and we ride bikes around here on weekends and now it's all beautiful asphalt and stuff the infrastructure is incredible, we did it all with red shale and it was pretty rudimentary but it was a start and everything has to have a start."
"My daughter," said Norrie. "It's her birthday, she said today, 'Mom, you know you are part of Calgary history, I'm really proud.' I'm sure my grandkids are tired of hearing about it, but they're proud of me so it was an honour to be part of it."
"When you get of a certain age and you start to think about what legacy you have," said Parks. "Aside from family this is my legacy, it's something I'm very proud of but it's something I think Calgary is proud of."
Parks says if any of the other 46 trail workers are interested in getting together this summer for a low-key reunion, please contact her via email.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.